Cover system for open top rail cars

Abstract

An improved rail car is pulled by an engine for transporting coal or other porous dust bearing materials. The car has opposing long sidewalls and opposing shorter end walls, which together define an initially open interior, a bottom and an open top. The open top of the car is covered by at least one pair of main doors in the form of opposing hinged A-frame sections which are pivotable between a closed, transport position and an open loading position which exposes the rail car interior for loading. The A-frame sections also have longitudinally spaced edges which are spaced apart to form a discharge door opening. A discharge door is located in each of the discharge door opening and is pivotally hinged within the respective door opening so that it opens under the influence of gravity in a rotary dumping operation. The discharge doors, together with the A-frame sections, form a door-within-a-door operating configuration.

1. An improved rail car pulled by an engine for transporting coal or other porous dust bearing materials having opposing long sidewalls and opposing shorter end walls, which together define an initially open interior, a bottom and an open top and an improved cover for the open top, the improved cover comprising:
 at least one pair of opposing A-frame sections mounted over the open top of the rail car to form an A-frame unit, each of the A-frame sections having a first, longitudinal edge generally aligned with one of the opposing long sidewalls of the car in a closed position, the A-frame section also having a second, longitudinal edge spaced apart from the first longitudinal edge and opposing intermediate edges which together form a discharge door opening for each of the A-frame sections; 
 at least one discharge door located in the discharge door opening of each A-frame section, the discharge door being pivotally hinged along a longitudinal axis which is generally parallel to the first and second longitudinal edges of the respective associated A-frame section; 
 a pivot-linkage mechanism associated with each of the respective A-frame sections for moving each A-frame section from the closed position to an open, loading position to allow coal or other porous dust bearing material to be loaded into the open interior of the car; 
 and wherein moving the A-frame sections from the open, loading position to the closed position protects the coal from air flow while in motion and improves fuel economy of the engine by the reduction of aerodynamic drag, the discharge doors allowing the coal or other porous material to be dumped in a rotary dumping operation. 
 
     
     
       2. The improved rail car of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge door is held in a closed position at least partly by the force of gravity when the respective A-frame section is in the closed position, but moves under the discharge door's own weight about the hinged longitudinal axis to open during a rotary dumping operation. 
     
     
       3. The improved rail car of  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of A-frame units are provided, at least one of the plurality of A-frame units having at least one discharge door located in an opening formed in the A-frame units, the discharge doors being spring-biased to an initially closed position. 
     
     
       4. The improved rail car of  claim 3 , whereby rotary dumping of the rail car and the discharge of porous material, by the force of gravity, causes the discharge doors to open. 
     
     
       5. The improved rail car of  claim 4 , wherein the intermediate edges of selected A-frame sections at an end of each rail car have arcuate end members located thereon, whereby the end members, along with the A-frame sections together define an end closure which helps to reduce porous material from being spilled while traveling and also reduces aerodynamic drag during transport operations. 
     
     
       6. The improved rail car of  claim 1 , wherein each rail car cover has at least three A-frame units carried thereon. 
     
     
       7. The improved rail car of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot-linkage mechanism associated with each A-frame section includes a pivot link having an inner pivot end mounted on a structural member within the rail car open interior, the pivot link having a second, outer pivot end which extends outwardly from the rail car open interior and which is attached at a pivot point located along the second longitudinal edge of the associated A-frame, whereby movement of the pivot link in an arcuate path of travel allows its associated A-frame section to slide over a respective longitudinal edge of the rail car as the A-frame section moves from the closed position to an open position covering a portion of a respective opposing long sidewall of the rail car. 
     
     
       8. The improved rail car of  claim 7 , wherein the pivot link is moved in the arcuate path by means of a fluid cylinder having an output shaft which is associated with the pivot link. 
     
     
       9. The improved rail car of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the discharge door openings are at least partly covered with brushes which allow operative components of a rotary dumping apparatus to engage the rail car in a rotary dumping apparatus and which increase air flow into the rail car interior during a bottom dumping operation. 
     
     
       10. A method for loading and unloading an open top rail car pulled by an engine for transporting coal or other porous dust bearing materials, where the rail car has opposing long sidewalls and opposing shorter end walls, which together define an initially open interior, a bottom and an open top, the method comprising the steps of:
 transporting a plurality of the open top rail cars to a loading location; 
 providing at least one pair of opposing A-frame sections mounted over the open top of each of the rail cars which together define an A-frame unit, each of the A-frame sections having a first, longitudinal edge generally aligned with one of the opposing long sidewalls of the car in a closed position, the A-frame section also having a second, longitudinal edge spaced apart from the first longitudinal edge and opposing intermediate edges which together form a discharge door opening for each of the A-frame sections; 
 locating at least one discharge door in the discharge door opening of each A-frame section, the discharge door being mounted by a pivotal hinge along a longitudinal axis which is generally parallel to the first and second longitudinal edges of the respective associated A-frame section; 
 providing a pivot-linkage mechanism associated with each of the respective A-frame sections for moving each A-frame section from the closed position to an open, loading position to allow coal or other porous dust bearing material to be loaded into the open interior of each of the cars; 
 actuating the pivot-linkage move the A-frame sections to the open position and subsequently loading the rail cars; 
 and thereafter moving the A-frame sections from the open, loading position to the closed position to protect the loaded coal from air flow while in motion and to improve fuel economy of the engine by the reduction of aerodynamic drag. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the discharge doors are held in a closed position at least partly by the force of gravity when the respective A-frame section is in the closed position, but move under the discharge door's own weight about a respective hinged longitudinal axis to open during a rotary dumping operation. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein a plurality of A-frame units are provided, at least one of the plurality of A-frame units having at least one discharge door located in an opening formed in the A-frame sections, the discharge doors being spring-biased to an initially closed position. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the pivot-linkage mechanism associated with each A-frame section includes a pivot link having an inner pivot end mounted on a structural member within the rail car open interior, the pivot link having a second, outer pivot end which extends outwardly from the rail car open interior and which is attached at a pivot point located along the second longitudinal edge of the A-frame, whereby movement of the pivot link in an arcuate path of travel allows its associated A-frame section to slide over a respective longitudinal edge of the rail car as the A-frame section moves from the closed, transport position to an open, loading position covering a portion of a respective opposing long sidewall of the rail car. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the pivot link is moved in the arcuate path by means of a fluid cylinder having an output shaft which is associated with the pivot link. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
 actuating a respective fluid cylinder to move its associated A-frame section to the open position and loading coal into the rail car open interior; 
 thereafter, again actuating the fluid cylinder to move the A-frame section to the closed, transport position; 
 transporting the closed rail car from a mine location to a power plant location. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of:
 moving the rail car into position within a rotary dumping apparatus; 
 using the dumping apparatus to rotate the rail car in an arcuate path of about 140 to 160 degrees of travel to a position in which the open interior of the car is oriented at least partly upside down; 
 whereby the discharge doors swing open by the influence gravity and of the porous material contained in the rail car interior to thereby dump the porous material. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the discharge door openings are at least partly covered with brushes which allow the rail car to be received in a rotary dumping apparatus.